As Summer draws closer to a close, that means it is time for the students to start getting ready to head back to school. While we know students have a lot on their minds when heading back to the classroom, our team at Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry wanted to pass along a few reminders to make sure your children’s oral health gets an A+ all year long.
With busy schedules of classes and activities, it can be easy to let your oral health fall on your student’s to-do list. We know it’s not always possible to brush and floss your teeth during school hours. If your child is able to, great! We highly recommend checking with the teacher if they allow that time or making time at the end of lunch. Flossing once a day is recommended so you can tell your child that they can wait until they get home to floss. If not, simple changes like eliminating sweet and/or sticky treats (especially if they have braces), fruit juice and soda, and making sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to rinse away food debris can be helpful alternatives until they are able to brush again.
Back to school also means back to playing sports for a lot of our students. Just like how we have them wear helmets for baseball and football for protection, a mouthguard can protect your child’s teeth during contact sports. Our office can set up an appointment with you to create a custom mouthguard! Sometimes accidents can’t be avoided and a dental emergency still occurs. If an injury happens during the day, give us a call as soon as possible and we may be able to repair the injury immediately. If an injury happens after hours, the ER or urgent care may be necessary until you are able to bring in your child. Be sure to follow up with us as soon as possible!
As the old saying goes, “Ignore your teeth and they will go away.” We should all make time for things that are important and that includes good oral health. Minor issues that can easily be fixed with a quick appointment can lead to issues that can require more intensive treatment so make sure you’re not ignoring your teeth!
Be sure to give us a call to schedule your child’s next semi-annual visit or make sure to schedule it after their next appointment. Our schedule can get very full so making the appointment while you’re in the office is the best way to go. That being said, be sure to give us a call if you need to schedule the next appointment for your child. It might be a little while before we can get them in but we want to make sure they are seen. Don’t forget that we also maintain an ASAP list where we can call you if something opens up before your child’s next appointment! We also please ask that you confirm appointments as much as possible. We reserve the right to charge a last minute cancellation fee for missed or canceled appointments.
From all of us at Simsbury Pediatric & Adolescent Dentistry, we want to wish all of our students a fantastic school year!
